Topic: SPRING HAS SPRUNG (Read 12776 times)

Matt H. · « **Reply #90 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:08:33 PM »

Our spring weather went away very quickly. The temperature has been dropping all day. I finally put a jacket on inside the house since noon. There's a definite chill in the air. Didn't want to turn up the heat from where it's been all winter, but that drop in temperature just got into my bones. Brrrr.....

Jane · « **Reply #91 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:12:07 PM »

Vixmom if you haven’t done so, be sure to read Charles Pogue’s wonderful and extremely interesting interview on this site.

My Girl Scout cookies arrived!!

Thank you. Stuffing my face full of cookies is not the way to loose three pounds by Friday.

Sandra · « **Reply #92 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:12:39 PM »

I am in the Rhetoric classroom, eating cotton candy, drinking Cherry Coke, and waiting for class to start. I tried to do my homework between classes, but these three talkative Christians from California came up and asked me if I had a minute. I said I had a lot of work to do, so they stayed for half an hour and quoted the scriptures to me. When they said "Lord Jesus," it sounded like "Lord Cheez-its." It's not a sin to laugh at that, is it?

Jane · « **Reply #93 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:20:41 PM »

Quote from: MBarnum on March 22, 2005, 01:51:17 PM

DR Jane, have you still not received anything from me in the mail? $:-\$

Have you not received my emails?

Yes I received your package-THANK YOU!!!

Jane · « **Reply #94 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:21:33 PM »

MBarnum, LOL. As I clicked on post my computer told me I had email.

Matt H. · « **Reply #95 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:21:42 PM »

Quote from: Jane on March 22, 2005, 02:12:07 PM

My Girl Scout cookies arrived!! Thank you. Stuffing my face full of cookies is not the way to loose three pounds by Friday.

I've been sneaking peanut M&Ms all day. The Easter bunny arrived early.

Matt H. · « **Reply #96 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:22:54 PM »

And I'm leaving the internet now to warm a bowl of soup to get some warmth inside me. Next step, hot chocolate.

Jane · « **Reply #97 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:27:09 PM »

George, and all others who don’t care for the taste of alcoholic beverages, I’m jealous. I also think it is great you don’t drink something you don’t care for just to do so. Now I happen to love the taste of a good scotch, whisky or brandy (straight, no ice) but unfortunately alcohol likes me too much. It doesn’t take long for me to feel the effects of the drink-very unfair I think. I also love Harvey’s Bristol Crème Sherry. Sometimes I order it out and they serve plain sherry & I have to return it.

I’m rather fond of French wines and would like to sample a Morgan wine. I’m more likely to drink an Australian wine in the summer. Currently my favorite wines are Pinot Grigio and Gewurzraminer. Incredible is an Alsace late harvest Gewurztraminer.

For mixed drinks I do enjoy a good Mai Tai or Margarita once in awhile.

CP you are lucky, I had to give up Champagne when acid reflux came into my life. Prior to that I had already given up all sodas. I miss the champagne more even if I rarely have it.

Red wine makes me very sick which gives me a good excuse not to drink it-yuck.

Ben & Jrand, the second time we lived in Michigan we lived across the street from a beautiful home that had once belonged to a Vernor.

Jane · « **Reply #98 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:30:44 PM »

Jrand I will tell Keith what you said about the DVD. Possibly he will want to see the movie and I will keep him company.

SWW & DerBrucer I hope all is well now.

Jennifer are you feeling better?

Ron Pulliam · « **Reply #99 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:33:17 PM »

Faith and begorrah, Jane [hic], you have some good taste in alcohol!

And that's no lie....

Ron Pulliam · « **Reply #100 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:35:12 PM »

Last night's episode of "The Medium" was terrific, IMO. I love this show so much.

The opening had me in stitches. The humor is almost always subtle and underneath the surface, but the sight of Marie Antoinette on the guillotine as someone yells, "Let HER eat cake" and Allison (as Marie) narrating, "...it's not like I said let them eat brussels sprouts" as the blade fell was hysterical!

Jane · « **Reply #101 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:43:47 PM »

Ron thanks-

Unfortunately I can’t discuss MEDIUM with you. Since it comes on too late for us we just TIVO it for future viewing.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #102 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:45:03 PM »

Good Afternoon!

First, the Donut Report:

I can't remember all the flavors they had available today, but the four - yes, four - I bought were:

Valrhona Chocolate
Orange
Walnut
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

Each of the donuts are totally dipped/immersed in their glazes. Just enough sweetness, and lots of flavor. The Chocolate-Covered Strawberry is one of their new Jelly Donuts. However, unlike regular jelly donuts which have a big glob of jelly/filling in the middle, the Donut Plant Jelly Donuts have jelly on all four sides. The donuts are cut with a squarish cutter and they still have a hole in the middle. Once out of the oil and cooled slightly, they inject the jelly into each corner, thus filling up each side. So...

When I took my first bite of the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry one a few minutes ago... WOW! Good balance of sweet and tart and richness. A nice filling of strawberry puree, and the whole donut is dipped in a chocolate glaze.

Right after leaving the store, I settled into one of those benches in the "malls" on Allen Ave. I started with the Valrhona Chocolate. Wonderful. Just a slight chew, but still very light in texture. Then to cleanse the palate, I had the Orange one. Finger lickin' good! -Then I headed over to Chinese grocery store on Grand to pick up a few bottles of water. Thankfully, no sugar shock.

-Oh, and they had cookies today too! Chocolate chunk with pistachios and pecans! -That I started devouring as soon as I grabbed out of the tin on the counter.

They were apparently very busy this morning since they were featured on TV last nigh on some program. I'm guessing something on the Food Network.

I shall have the Walnut one as my late-night snack later tonight.

Jane · « **Reply #103 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:46:01 PM »

Ann I’m sorry you didn’t receive a call-very typical behavior unfortunately.

Jane · « **Reply #104 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:47:10 PM »

Jose my mouth is watering.

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #105 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:53:08 PM »

Jane, I can get a little acid reflux with champagne as well...but I can't give up everything I like that gives me a bout of acid reflux or what's the point of living. The chronic coca cola was something that gave it to me consistently. Occasionally if I have too much chocolate, I'll get it as well. I used to love a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk in the morning, but dairy products can give you acide reflux too, so I rarely have milk anymore. The Lovely Wife, who has acid reflux worse than most, has pretty much given up dairy althogether and uses soy products. I thankfully haven't resorted to that.

We also use elevated pillows for lounging and sleeping that keep everything flowing downward at night. Since I gave up coca cola, I don't have the problem as frequently as I once did.

I'm not a big hard liquor drinker...I like margaritas and if I drink mixed drinks, I'll usually have something with vodka in it, because it's relatively tasteless.

To paraphrase Henry the II speaking about Becket: "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome rain?" It's coming down once again here in LA.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #106 on:** March 22, 2005, 02:55:02 PM »

In other news...

It took me about three attempts to leave the apartment earlier this afternoon.

When I first walked out, I had my heavy coat on, but the sun was out, the temp was in the mid-50s, and I just didn't feel like wearing a coat. -I had a light sweater on. So, I headed back in to the apartment to drop off my coat.

On the way back in, the young man who was supposed to rent the other room in this place next month had come in too. He was getting ready to show it to prospective subletters.

So, I head back out, and a few steps from the subway station, I notice I don't have my MetroCard on me. It was still in my jacket. Arrrgggh... So, I head back to the apartment, and fetch my MetroCard.

-The young man had started picking up stuff here and there. Tidying up the place.

Once back outside, I go to make a phone call... Where's my cell phone?!?!? ARRRGGHHH!!!... So... I go back in one more time, and get my cell phone.

THEN I headed back to the Subway, and grabbed the A Train down to W 4th, and then the F over to Delancey. And then a few blocks walk over to the Donut Plant on Grand.

-And when I got back this afternoon, the apartment was clean! Well, at least very well-organized. Andy, the young man in question, had picked up all the stuff in Nick's room, made his bed, opened the curtains, etc. He also picked up Graham's room, made the bed, etc. He put away a bunch of the stuff in the bathroom into the medicine cabinet. He pushed my stuff into another corner of the living room just to make things look a bit more open. AND he left a note with his number just in case we couldn't find anything, and he made cookies!! Chocolate chip. -Not too many of them were eaten - there's like three dozen on the kitchen counter - so I'm wondering how many people came by to look at the place.

But, still, it was a very nice surprise when I walked back in this afternoon and found all the DVDs and VHS tapes in the living room had been picked up off the floor and put on the shelves.

DearReaderLaura · « **Reply #107 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:01:21 PM »

DR Jane: I have a swell new camera, which I am still figuring out.

George · « **Reply #108 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:04:05 PM »

Quote from: Ron Pulliam on March 22, 2005, 02:35:12 PM

Last night's episode of "The Medium" was terrific, IMO. I love this show so much.

The opening had me in stitches. The humor is almost always subtle and underneath the surface, but the sight of Marie Antoinette on the guillotine as someone yells, "Let HER eat cake" and Allison (as Marie) narrating, "...it's not like I said let them eat brussels sprouts" as the blade fell was hysterical!

I'm really enjoying this show, also! I was wondering if any of the episodes are based on actual incidents (cases or psychic experiences) of the real Allison Dubois.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #109 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:15:21 PM »

After leaving the Donut Plant, I stopped at another bench in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park just to sit down for a while, and make some phone calls. There were a lot of families out walking today, and it was fun watching the little ones chase the pigeons around.

I then continued along Grand until I got to Little Italy. Then kept walking until I was back in SoHo.

Today's stops included:

Marie Belle Chocolate
http:www.mariebelle.com

I browsed the front part of the place. Gorgeous displays of chocolates and boxes in which to place the chocolates. And these were no simple cardboard box affairs. We're talking leather bound and velvet lined.

At the back of the store, they have their Cacao Bar and Tea Room. I ordered a small Spicy Hot Chocolate European Style (made with water instead of milk which is American Style). Absolutely wonderful. Thick, rich, flavorful. The hint of chile peppers and heat complemented the chocolate perfectly. They also had an assortment of cookies and other treats, but I passed on those. For today at least.

I did another up and down, left and right routine through all those streets. Then came..

Broadway Panhandler
www.broadwaypanhandler.com

A true cook's heaven! At least I was in heaven while I was in there. Such a great store, and very(!) helpful and knowledgeable staff. Pots, pans, accessories, gadgets, gizmos, cookbooks, stemware, plates, knive - all things culinary. I actually started to tear up a little bit when I came across the shelf of ice cream/cookie scoops, and they had all the sizes in stock. Sheesh, emotion over cookware!?!? I browsed and browsed. And browsed some more. I could have easily spent at least $300 on stuff that I saw in plain sight, but, somehow, I resisted, and my wallet never left my back pocket the whole time I was in the store. I was saying to myself as I was leaving, "I'll come back here once I get my apartment."

I did a bit more window shopping here and there, and made another stop into the Apple store just to witness the madness in there. 3:00 on a Tuesday afternoon and the place was hopping! The line at the downstairs register was 20 people deep!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #110 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:18:39 PM »

DR Ginny - No luck finding a Kite Cookie-Cutter. I passed a bunch of kitchen supply stores on Bowery. Nada. And once I got to Broadway Panhandler, I asked the Baking specialist if she had ever come across one. Unfortunately, she said, "No, I'm sorry." But she did advise that you could probably take a ruler, some paper and make template of sorts with interlocking kites, then use a clean straight-edge ruler and a pizza cutter to get the required shape.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #111 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:25:43 PM »

After hopping on the W Train back uptown, I headed over to Lincoln Center to see what was going on tonight. Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera. A chamber music concert at Juilliard. Dessa Rose and A Light in the Piazza at the theatres. The New York Philharmonic is performing Mendelssohn's complete incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream with actors reading from the play. And the Metropolitan Opera has the classic double-bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci - otherwise known at Cav-Pag. So...

I picked up at $20 standing room ticket for Cav-Pag, and I shall be heading back down to Lincoln Center in a little while for the 8:00 curtain. I'm really looking forward to it. I can't remember the last time I saw anything at the Met, and it's been a while since I've seen a grand scale production of a grand opera.

Ginny · « **Reply #112 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:27:20 PM »

Quote from: JoseSPiano on March 22, 2005, 03:18:39 PM

DR Ginny - No luck finding a Kite Cookie-Cutter. I passed a bunch of kitchen supply stores on Bowery. Nada. And once I got to Broadway Panhandler, I asked the Baking specialist if she had ever come across one. Unfortunately, she said, "No, I'm sorry." But she did advise that you could probably take a ruler, some paper and make template of sorts with interlocking kites, then use a clean straight-edge ruler and a pizza cutter to get the required shape.

Well, if Jose can't find a kite-shaped cookie cutter in New York, what makes me think I can find one in Dayton. Ohio? Guess I'll just have to put my geometry-teacher husband to work on that template! Thanks for the advice!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #113 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:28:38 PM »

Quote from: Jane on March 22, 2005, 02:47:10 PM

Jose my mouth is watering.

Hmm... I wonder if they ship FedEx?

-Oh, and one of the other Jelly-Filled ones they have is a PB&J - Peanut Butter Filling with a Cherry Glaze. Or that may be Cherry Jelly filled with Peanut Butter Glaze. In either case, they both sound very good.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #114 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:34:26 PM »

DR Ginny - I'm guessing something like this:

?

?
VVVVVVVVV

Close, but no cigar.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #115 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:35:21 PM »

Hmmm... That didn't translate properly... Ah, well...

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #116 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:36:16 PM »

OK - That completes my late afternoon frenzy.

Time to get ready for the opera.

Laters...

MBarnum · « **Reply #117 on:** March 22, 2005, 03:40:17 PM »

...and speaking of drinks, I could use a really strong one right now! $:-\$

JMK · « **Reply #118 on:** March 22, 2005, 04:01:13 PM »

Wow!! My complaint letter worked!! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it). There's a post on Amazon from yesterday saying that the new DVD of Hawaii will be the full roadshow version. Yay!!!

DearReaderLaura · « **Reply #119 on:** March 22, 2005, 04:21:00 PM »

Re kite cookie cutters: Check ebay. I found two.

News:

Author Topic: SPRING HAS SPRUNG (Read 12776 times)

MBarnum